Celebrating Terrorism, Palestinian Style

The Palestinian jubilation over yesterday's terror bombing in Jerusalem, the first of its kind since the suicide bombings during the Second Intifada more than a decade ago, is yet another reminder of the growing radicalization among Palestinians.

The major obstacle to peace with Israel remains the absence of education for peace with Israel. In fact, it is safe to say that there never was a real attempt on the part of Palestinian leaders and factions to prepare their people for peace with Israel. On the contrary, the message they send to their people remains extremely anti-Israel.

This casts doubt on the Palestinian leadership's and people's willingness to move toward peace and coexistence with Israel.

Shortly after the Jerusalem bus terror explosion attack on April 18, a number of Palestinian factions rushed to issue statements applauding the "heroic operation" and urging Palestinians to pursue the path of armed struggle against Israel.

The Palestinian jubilation over the terror attack, the first of its kind since the suicide bombings during the Second Intifada more than a decade ago, is yet another reminder of the growing radicalization among Palestinians. This radicalization is mostly attributed to the ongoing anti-Israel incitement and indoctrination by various Palestinian factions and leaders.

Not surprisingly, the first Palestinian group to applaud the Jerusalem bus attack was Hamas.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that his movement "welcomes the Jerusalem operation and considers it a natural response to Israeli crimes, especially extra-judicial executions and the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque."

The Hamas spokesman was in fact echoing similar charges made by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who declared that Palestinians will not allow Jews to be "defiling the Aqsa Mosque with their filthy feet."

How can anyone blame Hamas for making such accusations against Jews when Abbas, Israel's peace partner, was the first to come out against tours by Jews to the Temple Mount? It is worth mentioning that Abbas's allegations came only a few weeks before the eruption of the "Knife Intifada" in early October.

Another Hamas leader, Hussar Badran, also praised the terror attack. He said his movement was determined to pursue the resistance to "expel the occupation from our Palestinian lands."

When Hamas leaders talk about "expelling the occupation from the Palestinian lands," they mean that Israel should be eliminated and replaced with an Islamist empire.

On Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV, broadcaster Mohamed Hamed was so happy and excited to hear about the Jerusalem terror attack that he decided to salute the perpetrators.

Other Palestinians who are not necessarily Hamas supporters took to social media to praise the terror attack and call for more. On Twitter, many Palestinian activists created hashtags called #Bus12 and #TheRoofoftheBusGoesFlying to celebrate the terror attack.

Reflecting the state of jubilation over the Jerusalem terror attack, Palestinian cartoonists quickly joined the chorus of those celebrating the "heroic operation" against Israeli civilians. One of them, Omayya Juha, responded quickly by drawing a cartoon featuring a Palestinian woman celebrating the terror attack by ululating and handing out candies.

Palestinian cartoonist Omayya Juha celebrated the April 18 terrorist bombing of a Jerusalem bus by quickly drawing a cartoon featuring a Palestinian woman celebrating the terror attack by ululating and handing out candies in front of the burned-out bus.

Within hours of the attack, Palestinian factions seemed to be competing with each other over who would issue the most supportive statement of the terror explosion. Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) reacted by issuing separate statements applauding the Jerusalem bus blast. They said it marked a "qualitative development" in the intifada. The two groups vowed to continue killing Israelis as part of an effort to "escalate" the intifada. Later, another group called the Popular Resistance Committees issued its own statement in which it threatened "more painful strikes against the Zionist enemy."

Even Abbas's Fatah faction went to great pains to justify the terror attack. In an initial response to the attack, Fatah spokesman Ra'fat Elayan used Hamas's words to comment on the bus blast: "This is a natural response to Israeli practices against our people, including arrests, killings and recurring incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque."

Later in the evening, there were reports that some Palestinians, particularly in the Gaza Strip, took to the streets to express their joy over the terror attack.

The public statements of the Palestinian leaders and groups after the Jerusalem terror attack are yet another sign of how they continue to incite their people against Israel. These are the type of statements that prompt Palestinian men and women to grab a knife (or in this case an explosive device) and set out to kill the first Jew they run into.

The major obstacle to peace with Israel remains the absence of education for peace with Israel. In fact, it is safe to say that there never was a real attempt on the part of Palestinian leaders and factions to prepare their people for peace with Israel. On the contrary, the message they send to their people remains extremely anti-Israel.

The incitement, threats and fiery rhetoric will only lead to more violence. For now, all indications are that the Palestinians are headed towards upgrading the "Knife Intifada" to a wave of bombings against civilian targets inside Israel. Judging from the reactions of the various Palestinian factions and activists, support for terror attacks against Israel is so widespread among Palestinians that they are prepared to celebrate the bombing of a bus carrying civilians. This casts doubt on the Palestinian leadership's and people's willingness to move toward peace and coexistence with Israel.

Comment on this item

12 Reader Comments

steven L • Apr 19, 2016 at 23:59

The Palestinians have the implicit support of the West for rejecting any compromise with Israel.The West uses the Palestinians just like the Muslim world uses the Palestinians.The Palestinians are willful IDIOTS and why should anybody care if they don't care about themselves.However, the Palestinians are not the only one to not care about themselves. Norway and Sweden are on the path of statelessness and perhaps Belgium too. But what might save the failed multiculturalistic Belgium (Flemish against Walloon!!!) is the EU and NATO institutions.

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Dajjal • Apr 19, 2016 at 22:56

Islam is the obstacle to peace. Know Muslims: no peace; no Muslims: know peace.
Open your Qur'an to Surah At-Taubah 9.29, then turn back two surahs and read 7.167 and its exegesis in Tafsir Ibn Kathir. To gild the lily, finish with Sahih Bukhari 4.52.177.

Muslims do not want peace: they want to please Allah with genocidal conquest to earn admission to his celestial orgy.

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Mark • Apr 19, 2016 at 14:01

President Mahmoud Abbas, who declared "that Palestinians will not allow Jews to be "defiling the Aqsa Mosque with their filthy feet". Why does the world look the other way as Islam and its supporters brainwash children to be suicide bombers, teach them to hate everything and everyone who is not Muslim. Muslim lies and vileness know no bounds. Isreal should destroy the Mosque and be done with it, just as Islam is destroying everone elses temples and churches.

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JULES POSTEN • Apr 19, 2016 at 13:49

The fact that there are supposed human beings that can celebrate the bombing of a bus and the resulting carnage is proof positive of the true nature of Israel's enemies. What is even worse is their search for reasons to justify this crime. If Israel were to retaliate for this heinous act against them, you can be certain that there would be a loud chorus of voices from around the world calling for condemnation, while for the most part, there is a deep silence when the victims are "just Jews".

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harry • Apr 19, 2016 at 13:12

Considering that Bernie Sanders is now on record as saying that the Palestinians need to be recognized respected as civilized individuals I have to wonder what kind of response he'd give to the disgusting display of joyous celebration of dead and injured people from and around the bus.

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JULES POSTEN harry • Apr 20, 2016 at 09:08

In answer to HARRY, Bernie would most likely tune into the prevailing attitude of most of the world when it comes to attacks on Israel, or the Jewish people "What does it matter, they're only Jews"

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Gilma RESTREPO • Apr 19, 2016 at 12:42

It has to be very sad to be born from a family that does not have a soul, that everything in their lives is based on the hate for the Jews and that is the example for the kids. Thank God I did not born from a Palestinian family.

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Scott Rose Gilma RESTREPO • Apr 21, 2016 at 08:27

Call or write your Congressman and Senators today and ask them why no American leaders demand that the Palestinian Authority and Hamas stop brainwashing kindergarten children into being suicide bombing "martyrs for Allah."

Consider starting a White House petition requesting that President Obama publicly denounce Palestinian brainwashing of little children into anti-Israel hate, violence and suicide bombing martyrdom.

Letters can also be sent to Biden at the White House and to Speaker Paul Ryan.

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Michael • Apr 19, 2016 at 12:18

Is there authority in Jewish religious law for expelling the Muslims from the Land of Israel?

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Sally Levy • Apr 19, 2016 at 11:31

Time for Israel to stop trying to be the "Nice Guy". Accepting Hamas family members into Israeli Hospitals for medical treatment. Allowing more cement shipments into Gaza for supposed use of home rebuilding, which inevitably is used for tunnel building. Israel is criticized by the International Community, regardless of what they do. The media chooses to ignore any good deeds and focuses on the negative.Treat Hamas, and Fatah, as the enemies they are.

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jeb • Apr 19, 2016 at 08:12

American liberals also bear the responsibility for the Palestinians education in violence; in the name of peace. America's liberals have turned a blind eye to conditions in the ME they sponsor through peace initiatives. Russia can carpet bomb civilian villages, employ ROEs that allows gunning down human shields but remain critical to the point of lying hypocrites and assume America and the Israelis do worse things. total lie. Peace has become the opiate of the radical left when they can not get opiates. One activists blogged me yesterday and was at least honest, he hates American veterans and blames everyone who dies in the ME on the USA. That is the sort of drug induced possibly pot induced coma American pacifists have descended into. And they don't want to wake up.

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Russell • Apr 19, 2016 at 07:07

The behaviour of Palestinians leaves absolutely no doubt whatsoever that they have sickly obsession with killing Jews and have no interest at all with any form of peace process. Those that support the Palestinian quest, western leadership, the UN and the weak, recently invaded EU countries are, by their naiveté (or idiocy) whichever fits best. Need to consider that this type of attitude exists and is growing within their own Muslim populations. Should they continue pursuing the lie that Israel can ever negotiate a deal with these crazed people and turn their attention to stopping radical Islam and terrorism against Israel, then they will get no mercy from the Almighty when the knifing, bombs, destruction, rape, murder and suicide bombings increase tenfold within their own societies. Then there is the judgment also coming that they will have face. The Bible describes this as having them hiding in caves and underground and begging the rocks to fall upon them to save them from the wrath of He that sits on the Throne. Ban Ki, Obama and Uncle Des Tutu and all. May the Lord have mercy on them, or not.

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